Authors: Tyora M. Moody

When Rain Falls (27 page)

BOOK: When Rain Falls

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Chapter Fifty-five

Candace stood still, feeling more and more confused by the second. This woman standing in front of her was one of her best clients at Crown of Beauty. Without fail, Hillary Green showed up every two weeks. Her hair had transitioned over the past three years from black to the salt-and-pepper look she sported now.

Candace rubbed her arms. The chill from the unheated salon seemed to penetrate her body now. “Ms. Green, I don't understand.”

Hillary shook her head and stepped toward Candace, her eyes almost apologetic. “This wasn't supposed to go this far.”

Candace took a step back and observed the woman's face. “I'm still not following why you are in my salon.”
Or why you are pointing a gun at me. Does she plan to rob the place?
Candace faithfully deposited money in the bank once a day. Leaving money around was not her style. Times were tight, but surely Harris and Harris paid their legal assistant well.

A sad smile formed on Hillary's face. “You know, Pamela had become a dear friend to me. No wonder you two took to being such good friends.”

Goose bumps pulsed under Candace's shirt.

Okay, whatever this is about, someone should be out here soon to check on the alarm.
She swallowed, but it didn't help dislodge the lump forming in her throat. Fear rose from her belly up into her respiratory area. Maybe Hillary was having a mental moment and needed to be reminded of reality. Candace croaked out, “You know, Pamela really admired you.”

“She was a marvel to watch in the courtroom. I couldn't stand what she did outside, though.
That
should be against the law. Every time I saw poor Yvonne, I wanted to tell her about her egotistical husband and his mistress.” The woman shuddered but kept a firm grip on the gun.

She stared at Hillary, still trying to find the client she knew to be gentle, quiet, and unassuming. This had to be some crazy chemical imbalance.

Lord, help her snap out of it.

“I hate to do this. But I have to protect my brother. He's so lost without guidance.” Hillary shook her head. “None of this would have happened if only your husband hadn't shot Sam.” The woman spat the word
husband
out. “His death. It destroyed all of us.”

This was a nightmare. Darnell was right. All of this was connected. Candace watched the woman raise the gun. Only in some movie could this happen. Somehow a shooting incident from so many years ago continued to have ricochet effects today. Right now.

Candace blinked. Hard. As clear as where she stood, she saw Frank's face. His eyes. The deep grief and sadness that overtook his mind for so many years. When did the pain of one act stop? She wouldn't cry in front of this woman. “I'm so sorry about what happened to your family. Frank was doing his job.”

“His job? Was his job to snuff out a twenty-year-old's life? Sam was our inspiration. Our hope. He was going to college, to be somebody.” Hillary's voice cracked. “He was just pulling out a wallet, to show identification.”

“But he ran. Why did he run if he didn't have anything to hide?” Candace had put those details away in her mind a long time ago. She remembered the circumstances. The nights Frank repeated the incident over and over again to keep from going insane. Doubting if he should have pulled the trigger.

Candace focused on the gun again. Hillary was at least ten pounds heavier, not to mention ten years older. “Hillary. What do you want from me? I've been nothing but supportive and kind to you. You came into my salon, never revealing who you really were.” That angered Candace more than she could imagine.
What kind of game is this?

“I needed to protect my brother. I can't leave any stones unturned, as they say.”

“What are you talking about?” Then it suddenly dawned on Candace. “Did
you
... kill Pamela? Why?”

“She was going to ruin everything. I couldn't let her. She told me she suspected Avante was a suspect in a murder. Some crazy stuff he spouted out to her. She couldn't ethically keep quiet about it. I told her she was obligated as his lawyer not to say a word.”

Candace's eyes watered. “But she wouldn't keep quiet. She had to at least tell me that she might have found Frank's murderer. So, you took her life before she could tell anyone.”

“She deserved to die. Prancing around that firm. She had Mitch wrapped around her fingers. A married man. All of a sudden she decides to have a conscience. She's a Christian. Ha, yeah, right. I don't know much Bible, but it says, âThou shall not commit adultery,' as well as âThou shall not murder.' Doesn't it?”

Candace didn't know how to respond.

The woman continued, “I hear you women in here gossiping about everything under the sun, and then you turn around and say, âI will pray for her.' Hypocrites. My brother was a good boy. Good altar boy. Good grades. He did everything right. He was his mama's heart.”

Candace felt for Hillary. Though she didn't know why. No one knew how deep loss could be at the hand of violence as well as she did. She remembered being in that closet as a child as her mother was being murdered in the next room. Life had its senseless moments.

Like right now. One thing she knew for sure, she wasn't ready to go yet. As a child, she'd confessed her desires to have Jesus in her heart. Even when life hit her blow by blow, He helped her bounce back. She wanted her children to grow up with one of their parents still around.

She glimpsed the clock. The kids should have arrived home by now. Beulah would send out some reinforcements to look for her. “Hillary, I still don't understand why you lured me to the salon. What do you want from me?”

“I told you. I have to protect my family.” Hillary waved the gun. “You see, Pamela didn't know, but she ignited a plan I had long laid out. When it's all over, I will be at peace. I'm just sorry Pamela, and now you, became a part of the plan.”

Candace tried to gulp down a breath again, but it still felt like there was an obstruction in her throat. This woman called killing off folks a way to get peace. There was no way she would let this woman get away with her crazy plan. It would stop right here in this salon.

Lord, I know you are here. I need your help now. Please protect me. For my children, please protect me.

Chapter Fifty-six

Darnell guided the car through the storm. He'd thought he had taken care of the problem by hauling Avante in to the station. But he knew without a doubt, someone had deliberately drawn Candace to the salon. He verified with dispatch. No records of a triggered alarm could be found.

Darnell pulled up behind Candace's car. From where he sat, he could see the CLOSED sign on the door. The salon appeared to be dark.

He had made some stupid mistakes in his career, but he wasn't about to screw this up. He called Brunson. “Hey, anything new?”

“There were some interesting finds at the art gallery. And there wasn't anything artistic about them. Looks like we can at least hold Mr. Lafayette on money laundering and drug possession.”

“That figures.”

“How's Candace?”

“That's what I'm calling about. Her car is here. I'm going to get out and knock on the door, but it looks pretty dark in the place. You think you can swing by here, just in case I need backup?”

“I'm on my way.”

As soon as Darnell opened the car door, the rain pelted his face. By the time he reached the sidewalk, his coat was already soaked. He cupped his hands around his face to peek through the window, but he couldn't see a thing.

Candace was probably in the office, working away. At least he hoped. He banged on the door. While he stood in the alcove, the rain drenched his back side. “Come on, Candace.” Darnell banged on the door again, rattling the pane of glass.

Something wasn't right.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Candace had been too freaked out this morning to be hanging out at the salon alone. She couldn't have her confidence back that fast. He hadn't had a chance to tell her he caught the bad guy.

Or at least he thought he did.

For the second time that day, he pulled out his gun and cocked it in the air. He moved around the side of the building, through the empty parking lot, and then to the back. Bending down, he examined the back door. If he played enough with the lock, he might be able to jimmy the door open.

Candace, if you are in there, just hold tight.

Chapter Fifty-seven

Don't leave!
Candace stared at the door. She could see a shadow move away from the door. Whoever it was, they were walking away.

No weapon formed against you shall prosper.

She'd heard Beulah speak that same verse right there in the salon. She had to believe God would save her.

But Pamela's dead.
Tears sprang to her eyes.
God, I trust you. Please help me. I need an angel now.

Hillary's eyes darted wildly from the door to Candace. “Who was that?”

Candace shook her head. She couldn't open her mouth. No telling what might come out of it right now.
Best to remain calm.

“Let's go to the office. Move.”

The senselessness of the situation weighed heavily on Candace's mind as she walked into her office. The walls in the already small room seemed to have moved an inch inward since the time she was in there, only minutes before.

“Move slower. Don't try anything. I really don't want to hurt you.”

Candace flinched at the sight of the gun again. “Are you sure? You were telling me a while ago, you wanted to get rid of me.”

“Don't go there with me.”

“Okay, okay.” Candace's heart raced as Hillary jabbed the gun toward her.

“As a matter of fact, don't say anything. I need to think.” Hillary paced.

Great going, Candace! So much for keeping your mouth closed.
She hoped whoever was at the door would return. Soon. In the meantime, she needed to buy as much time as possible. There was no way Beulah or her kids would let her go missing in action without trying to contact her or find her whereabouts.

She wouldn't be surprised if Darnell showed up himself. He really had more interest in her than he should have. She couldn't help but appreciate him more than she had the first time he showed up in the office to ask her questions.

Somebody?
Anybody who cared about her, now would be the time to really show it. “You are thinking awfully hard, Hillary. What are you planning?”

Hillary switched the gun to her other hand. “I thought I told you not to say anything. Sit down and don't say another word.”

Candace slowly sat down in her office chair, keeping her eyes on the gun in Hillary's hand. Candace needed to get the woman to talk. Not to be thinking so much.

Art gallery.
Everything started with that place. Many folks at the reception saw Pamela alive for the last time. She knew she couldn't keep stalling, but Candace still wanted answers. “Pamela did a good job getting the assault charges dropped for your brother. Even turned it around in the media. It all worked out just in time for his art gallery opening, too. I'm surprised you didn't trust her. She considered you a real friend.”

Hillary glared at her. “You must have a death wish, Candace. Do you want to join your friend on the other side of wherever?”

Candace recalled how years ago Pamela helped this woman get the job as legal assistant at Harris and Harris.
Poor Pamela.
If only her friend had known what kind of monster she had in her life. Sadly, in the last hours of her life, Pamela probably met another side of this woman.

“So, your brother Avante. You must be proud of his artwork.”

Hillary's eyes appeared to soften. “Yes. He has done well with his art. Things just went wrong. You know, Yvonne upset Pamela that night. I saw the whole thing, and I followed her. I wanted her to get home safely. I was concerned.”

There was a vacancy in her eyes now.

Candace studied the woman's face, seeking any signs of her being off guard.

“I wasn't expecting her to stop at the coffee shop. So, I sat and waited.”

Candace hoped she wasn't frowning. This woman had followed Pamela home that night. She didn't mention that to the police. “I'm sure she would have loved if you had gone in and talked to her.”

“I thought about that, but ...”

“What happened?”
Keep talking.

“Then I saw her meeting with Avante. That boy always thought he was so smart. Not like Sam at all. Avante was the one interested in making a quick buck. He'd taken those photos for Yvonne and thought he could get some money out of Pamela. I saw the whole thing in the shop window. If only he hadn't reverted to his old tricks. He had to blackmail his lawyer and then brag.”

Candace noticed that the more Hillary talked, the more distracted she became. The gun was pointing toward the floor. At least it wasn't aimed in her direction now. She glanced around her desk again.

The paperweight. No!
She wouldn't have time to grab it and throw it. Focusing back on the conversation, she realized the full impact of what Hillary was sharing. She gripped the sides of her chair as she listened.

“I confronted him. He'd told her too much. He banked on the fact that she was his lawyer and she couldn't tell a soul. I slapped him hard. I told him, âWhat did you think? You needed to make confession or something?'”

Candace sucked in a breath. “So, he did kill Frank?”

“That's enough.” Hillary stepped forward. “You know too much, and I need to finish covering my trail.”

“Wait. What if Mitch Harris knows? You can't think Pamela wouldn't have confided in him, wouldn't have asked for his advice.”

The woman cackled, sounding like one of those witches she'd seen in movies. “I'm not worried about Mitch. He tried to get all high and mighty on me, too. Telling me he had his suspicions. Yvonne should be thrilled now. I did her a favor.”

Candace dropped her mouth open, not believing what she'd heard. “You killed Mitch?” Was that where Darnell was called to earlier? He could be at the crime scene a long time. Unless Hillary got sloppy, the police might not be able to link anything to this woman.

Including my death
.

A loud click reverberated from the back of the salon. Glee filled Candace's heart and jarred her out of the morbidity of her own thoughts. Somebody had finally come for her.

“What was that?” Hillary whirled around. “Let's go. Don't try anything. We're going to go see.”

The woman had totally lost her mind. Candace's muscles were tight from tension. More than anything, she wanted to spring toward Hillary and wrestle for her life. Chances were, she might come away with a bullet in her.

Hillary grabbed her arm and yanked her forward. “I told you to move. Now.”

She stuck the gun in the small of Candace's back.

This is not good. Not good at all
.

Her only help would be a miracle.

BOOK: When Rain Falls

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